Posts filed under 'Indonesia'
Kiva, Transparency and P2P Microlending
by Zev Lowe, KF8 Indonesia
I never knew when I signed up to represent Kiva for 10 weeks in Indonesia that I was also signing myself up for a much longer-term commitment as a Kiva Ambassador. But all jesting aside, as someone who has gone behind the curtain and seen the inner workings of Kiva and one of their MFI field partners, here’s my own personal opinion (not endorsed in any way by Kiva) on whether or not Kiva is actually peer-to-peer microlending.
Continue Reading 9 comments 11 November 2009
Spreading the Kiva love…
by Cissy DeLuca, KF8, Indonesia
This past week is my last week working at TLM in West Timor. TLM is also partnered with Opportunity International (OI) Australia, which is their primary source of funding. To promote this relationship, TLM often hosts “Insight Trips,” which allow supporters of OI to pay a fee to visit a partner MFI of their choice. These trips promote donor understanding and create the potential for them to further contribute to the work of the MFI.
TLM staff members introducing the Australian guests to a client
Eight Australians arrived this past Monday to be toured around to visit clients, see the office, meet the staff and gain an insider perspective on microfinance and TLM. Upon hearing I was working on behalf of Kiva, an instant fan club materialized right before my eyes. They wanted to know everything they possibly could about Kiva and their partnership with TLM. Some had heard of it, while others had not. This resulted in me hosting an impromptu training session at my desk on how to use the Kiva website. One of the Australians had even googled “TLM” and “Microfinance” prior to the trip and stumbled upon the fellows blog and a video I had made! He had known of the existence of a “Cissy” at TLM before he even arrived… I am a minor celebrity!
3 comments 16 September 2009
TLM… hotter than an Indonesian rap song!
by Cissy DeLuca, KF8, Indonesia
When most people think of Indonesia, the first places that usually come to mind are Bali and Jakarta. West Timor may be the last place a person associates with Indonesia. West Timor is part of the NTT province, which is the poorest in Indonesia. That means the people of this area need Kiva lenders the most!
Nestled in the bustling metropolis of Kupang is a humble organization called Tanaoba Lais Manekat. Only posting on Kiva since March 2009, they are rapidly becoming the next big thing in microfinance, Kiva and the world!
I made this video to get all you Kiva lenders as pumped on West Timor and TLM as I am!
Cissy Deluca is a proud member of KF8 working in Indonesia with TLM. Please feel free to join their rapidly growing lending team or follow them on twitter!
7 comments 5 August 2009
Visiting clients who are artisans
Over the course of my Kiva fellowship with DINARI Foundation – Bali, I have had the chance to meet clients who engage in various kinds of business activities. I’ve met small shopkeepers who shrug matter-of-factly when they tell me that their main source of revenues come from cigarettes, I’ve met pig farmers who have been able to rattle off stud fees, gestation periods and prices per kilogramme over the last few months, and I’ve met incredibly hardworking people who sort through trash in order to collect recyclables, who are often shunned because of the way they smell.
I enjoy listening to all their stories. But my favourite clients to visit, by far, have been artisans, because it’s so much fun watching them at work. I’d like to share two videos I took of clients who were kind enough to demonstrate the art of making leather wristbands and of making a traditional Balinese offering on video.
Continue Reading 4 comments 2 August 2009
Thank you, TLM lenders!
Last week I was able to meet some Kiva clients while doing borrower verifications. Shanty, one of the Kiva Coordinators, and I decided to print out their Kiva profiles and show them what the world had seen.
Although they get an explanation of what Kiva is when they sign the client waiver, many TLM clients have no knowledge of the internet. To see a printed out profile with their pictures, along with some of the faces of people who had loaned to them, was very exciting for these clients!
Fret Passu’s Group and Oliftataf 44-B Group handled the printouts as if they were gold and swatted away the children’s hands when they tried to touch it. Members of Sesawi B1 Group and Sesawi A2 Group excitedly pointed each other out in the profile pictures. We left the profiles with them and I know these will be treasured items.
When Fret Passu (pictured below, on right with mustache) saw his profile he said, “Even though I am sitting here in this dirty shirt, people all over the world know who I am!”
Members of Fret Passu’s Group and Oliftataf 44-B Group
Members of Sesawi B1 Group and Sesawi A2 Group
Thank you to all of the generous Kiva lenders who helped these people acquire their cattle loans!
Cissy DeLuca is working with Tanaoba Lais Manekat Foundation (TLM) in West Timor, Indonesia. Feel free to join our rapidly growing lending team and follow us on twitter!
5 comments 27 July 2009
Microfinance and the economic casualties of terrorism
The first time the Bali bombings came up in conversation for me, it was when I was interviewing a borrower, Pak (Mr.) I Putu Agus Sumerta. Pak Herman, a DINARI loan officer, introduced Agus to me as a victim of the 2nd Bali bombing.
I immediately assumed that he had been injured in the blast, but it turned out he was working in a hotel in the capital city of Denpasar at the time, nowhere near the beaches of Kuta and Jimbaran where the bombs went off. When I expressed my confusion, Agus and Herman explained that for most people in Bali, the most lasting negative consequence of the bombings was economic. Tourists were driven off the island and even regular visitors didn’t come back for years. Agus’ hotel was forced to close, and he was forced to return to his village of Melaya.
Continue Reading 7 comments 21 July 2009
Give your heart to love, Give your hands to serve
by Cissy DeLuca, KF8 Indonesia
At TLM, there is an informal uniform code for each day of the week. Mondays are for blue shirts, Tuesdays are for orange, Wednesdays we wear green, Thursdays the staff wear the TLM batik and Fridays are for custom made blue and white shirts. On the back of these shirts reads, “Give your heart to love, Give your hands to serve.”
Roni, a TLM loan officer, in the field
In previous experiences working in the development sector, I noticed many NGO and government workers often treated villagers in a manner I found less than acceptable. Nurses would be verbally, and sometimes physically, abusive towards the mothers who came for monthly baby weighing services. Berating them for not forming a proper line and rudely hurrying them along as they removed the carefully chosen outfit they had dressed their baby in for the event. NGO workers would breeze into a village unannounced in their private air-conditioned SUVs acting like their time was more valuable than the community’s time. Rudely expecting the village to scurry for a chair, fresh water, a translator and accommodate all their needs. Development work serves the purpose of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, but these people widened it with their social behavior. In short, these situations broke my heart and greatly discouraged me.
Working with TLM has been a a breath of fresh air and reminded me what development work can, and should, be all about. Their strong Christian affiliation really shows in their demeanor. They treat their clients with dignity, respect and kindness. They are very patient when gathering and explaining information and do not take a condescending approach. (more…)
7 comments 15 July 2009
Kiva Intern to Kiva Fellow
Hello from Indonesia! I am in my first week of my fellowship and wanted to make my presence known on the fellows blog. My name is Cissy and I will be working with Tanaoba Lais Manekat (TLM) in West Timor for the next 12 weeks. Unlike other fellows, I had the opportunity to work as an intern in the Kiva office in San Francisco for 5 months before my fellowship. I worked on the logistical side of the Kiva Fellows Program under JD and Zack. Like the idea behind Kiva, the actual office is a pretty awesome place. It has a warm atmosphere with lots of inviting couches and friendly people. The staff is a tight knit family committed to the mission of Kiva – to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. They work hard to keep Kiva running smoothly and keep users, like you, engaged.
Ever wonder what goes on at the Kiva office? Well, here is an inside look! I made a little video highlighting my transition from intern to fellow. This video is a tribute to the wonderful Kiva staff who I miss dearly…
Cissy DeLuca is serving as a Kiva Fellow with Tanaoba Lais Manekat (TLM) in Kupang, West Timor, Indonesia. TLM is a new partner that joined Kiva in January and is still in pilot phase. You can view their Kiva loans here!
9 comments 7 July 2009
Is a Kiva loan really interest free?
By Zev Lowe, KF 8 Indonesia
The US dollar has recently risen significantly against many currencies. When I arrived in Bali to begin my Kiva Fellowship with DINARI Foundation, I received 10,295 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) for each of my US dollars. This is 10% higher than a year ago, when the US dollar was worth 9,350 IDR.
How does this fluctuation in exchange rates affect Kiva lenders, partners, and borrowers? Does this mean that an Indonesian farmer or food vendor is left having to bear the burden of the strengthening dollar?
Kiva Field Partners deal with currency risk on Kiva loans
20 comments 1 June 2009
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